Coupling device for keyboards



Malrch 28, 1933. L. DEUTSCH COUPLING DEVICE FOR KEYBOARDS Filed July 15, 1930 .EBJL

Leonhard Du isc h INVENTOR:

Patented Mar. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES LEONHARD DEUTSCH, 01E VIENNA, AUSTRIA COUPLING DEVICE FOR K EYBOARDS Application filed July 15, 1930, Serial No. 468,116, and in Austria Ji11y-19, 1929.

It has been already proposed to alter the usual keyboard of musical keyboard instruments, particularly of pianos, in such a manner that the range of activity of the players 5 hands is increased and the sound of the instrument is varied. This may be carried out by suitably arranging or dimensioning the keys or the like. However instruments constructed in this way were not a success because the altered keyboard calls for a reconstruction of the instrument to a greater or smaller extent. The installation of an altered keyboard would require a new instrument and the piano-manufacturers would have to make arrangements for the manufacture of new types of pianos and their accessories and parts. This economic difliculty would be still increased by the fact that at the beginning a wholesale manufacture of the new instruments is not a necessity, so that the price would be considerably higher than that of the usual kind of instruments. Further the manufacturers and dealers are opposed to new inventions of this kind, because they justly fear a depreciation of the present types.

According to the present invention these drawbacks are avoided in that, without altering the present shape of the keyboard instrument, the latter is provided with one of the improved keyboard constructions without incurring any increased costs worth mentioning. The said improved keyboard either is built on a separate playing table to be placed in front of the instrument or is arranged directly on the latter for instance in the manner of a top-keyboard. Its key-levers are connected with the corresponding key-levers of the common instrument by leverages, whereby the key-pressure applied to the front or top keyboard is transmitted to the common keyboard of the musical instrument.

According to the present invention different kinds of keyboards'may be employed, such as e. g. the known double keyboard with octave coupling according to the Austrian Patent No. 89765 (Moor), the keyboard arrangement in the manner of a typewriter and so forth. The key-spacing may be suitably reduced for players with small hands, thus particularly for children.

One mode of carrying out the present invention using a double keyboard is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying sheet of drawing in which, 7

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section, and

Fig. 2 a plan view of. a forward or front playing table connected with a common key board instrument. I

a and b designate a double keyboard, which is arranged in terraces and rotatable on shafts 0 and d aswell as weighted by leadinsertions e and f at the other end. The keylevers a are connected with the corresponding keys 2' of the standard piano by pushrods 9 and angle levers h. Further by means of a connecting member is, each key 6 is connected with the push-rods g of the key a disposed the extent of an octave further to the left hand side thereof, so that the key 2' acts in the same way whether the key a or a key 6, disposed the extent of an octave farther to the right hand side, is depressed. Thus the same effect is produced as in the case of a fitted double keyboard, namely for each tone two striking faces are present which are removed the extent of an octave with respect to each other, whereby in any position the hand of the player covers the double octaverange. Of the pedals (not illustrated), the octave coupling wire, which couples each key a with the key 5 in alignment therewith, is directly connected with the forward or front keyboard, while the other two pedals (shifting and forte pedal) are connected on the front rack with the pedals of the standard piano according to the known kind of me- I chanical musical mechanism. The lid Z of the go forward rack or table can be folded up and when open serves as music-rack.

I claim 1. In a device for increasing the range of a keyboard in a musical instrument, a plurality of rows of keys, each row embracing successive octaves, the octaves of one row being remote from corresponding octaves of another row, and connecting means between corresponding keys of corresponding octaves 2 I g i 1,902,840

of each row and the corresponding keys of the instrument keyboard.

2. In a device for increasing the'range of a keyboard in a musical instrument, a plu- 5 rality of rows of keys, each row embracing corresponding successive octaves, corresponding octaves being separated by the space of one octave, and; connecting means between corresponding keysof corresponding octaves 19 and the corresponding keys of the instrument keyboard. W V l 3. A device of the character described in combination with a musical instrument hav I v Y 3 V r 1 ing a keyboard, comprising a support attached to said instrument,'two superposi- ,tioned rows of keys carried by said support, a push rod secured to each key of the lower row, an angle lever cooperating with each push rod and a key of said instrument, fur- QG ther connecting means carried by each key of the upper row and each engaging a push rod of a'lower key, each key of said musical instrument being operated by two difi'erent keys of the keyboard attachment.

1 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which each of the connecting means of the upper keys engages a push rod carried by a lower key spaced one octave from the upperkey.

In testimony whereof I afiix my Signature.

LEONHARD nEUTsoH. 

